2022 Oregon Archery Elk Proposal

[Hoodie]

100%

Not saying everything needs to be full wilderness with backpacking/horsepacking as your only option, but right now you can drive on the ridge, along the valley floor, usually a couple mid-slope roads, it's crazy in some areas. Where are elk supposed to feel safe when there's trucks crawling around every slope?

This is why I stopped hunting the Coast Range and started hunting the Cascades.

I love the jungle on the coast, but the sheer density of the roads totally ruins that hunt for me. I get that the road access is due to logging, and that logging is why the elk densities are higher there than here, but man does it suck not being able to outwalk people.

That said, I do feel like in the Coast Range elk don´t need to be quite as far from a road to have decent security. Iḿ not sure a half mile off a road in the Ukiah unit is comparable to a half mile off the road in the Wilson.

 

[WRO]

Correlation does not equal causation.

Do you think elk prefer to be by roads?


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They prefer to be where there isn't a bunch of people..

Most of the flat billed deep throaters need to be back in a couple miles for good Instagram backgrounds in their armed hiking pictures and the road hunters can't see them from their truck.

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[slick]

Got it. Point being roads typically equate to more human presence flat billed or not.

And Oregon is covered up in them and I think that’s a detriment to our elk hunting.

And I would agree with the above, the coast range’s security cover looks much different than the Blue’s does.


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[WRO]

Got it. Point being roads typically equate to more human presence flat billed or not.

And Oregon is covered up in them and I think that’s a detriment to our elk hunting.

And I would agree with the above, the coast range’s security cover looks much different than the Blue’s does.


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We've killed them over east and on the west side within sight of a main line sometimes.. Oregon has turned into such a shit show otc that I'm just not interested anymore.

They hunt elk in most units fun 8/1 to February or March.. The elk never get a break, once i got exposed to good archery hunts in NM and on private I lost all interest.

I'd rather shoot a cow with a rifle than join that zoo..

 

[Dirtscoots]

We've killed them over east and on the west side within sight of a main line sometimes.. Oregon has turned into such a shit show otc that I'm just not interested anymore.

They hunt elk in most units fun 8/1 to February or March.. The elk never get a break, once i got exposed to good archery hunts in NM and on private I lost all interest.

I'd rather shoot a cow with a rifle than join that zoo..

Thus is the only point I was goin for. Annually our archery season gets more and more like our rifle season. The only difference is I feel safer because I have a better chance of living through some moron slinging an arrow 100 yards that a moron slinging bullets at movement. I just hate to see it all go down hill. The draw East doesn’t bother me. The not having one here does. I get go all draw at once huge up roar.

 

[PNW bow hunter]

Latest proposal and info, I like it.

https://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/hunting/big_game/docs/2022_Initial_Archery_Proposal_Presentation.pdf

Thanks for adding this link. That updated proposal has some really great information, and is presented in a very easy to understand format.

ODFW actually did a really job putting that together so people can see why they are looking at this.

I can’t believe I just said ODFW did a good job at something

 

[wapitibob]

They had a zoom presentation and q/a yesterday evening with a whopping 17 people in attendance. Very well done and some good discussion after about the proposal and why it's in the current form. The youth general tag is getting looked at which is nice but raising the nr cap to 10% has virtually zero support and takes legislative action . Not surprisingly, "residents are adamant it stay ay 5% so they don't lose opportunity". Sorry NR...

 

[Swan]

I’ve only been in OR for a few years (coming from CO), but it sounds like the system needs to be updated to give ODFW more tools to manage the populations. In three general east side archery seasons, my observations are that the roads are a shit show, but if you can find a place where you can get off them for a couple miles, there are few people and plenty of elk. My main comment was that they need to shut down a lot of roads and focus more on habitat. There are roads everywhere in OR, compared to other western states. Make hunters walk, and the pressure will go way down. The roadless areas are few, and generally very small. They need to start building larger blocks of habitat if they want more elk. FYI, I was told to submit this comment formally as they receive a lot of very vocal pressure to keep roads open and increase the maintenance of existing. Like I said, I’ve only been hunting OR for a few years, so these thoughts might not even be worth the two cents... It‘ll be interesting to see if the new system creates a noticeable reduction in pressure.

 

[Markleathers]

Facebook’s lit up. Typical ranting from guys that want unlimited opportunity then with the next breath bitch about low game numbers.

Nr overcrowding will be a non issue in the new draw units; 5% nr cap.

I stopped looking at any fb pages because of all that bs

 

[DCAN]

I’ve only been in OR for a few years (coming from CO), but it sounds like the system needs to be updated to give ODFW more tools to manage the populations. In three general east side archery seasons, my observations are that the roads are a shit show, but if you can find a place where you can get off them for a couple miles, there are few people and plenty of elk. My main comment was that they need to shut down a lot of roads and focus more on habitat. There are roads everywhere in OR, compared to other western states. Make hunters walk, and the pressure will go way down. The roadless areas are few, and generally very small. They need to start building larger blocks of habitat if they want more elk. FYI, I was told to submit this comment formally as they receive a lot of very vocal pressure to keep roads open and increase the maintenance of existing. Like I said, I’ve only been hunting OR for a few years, so these thoughts might not even be worth the two cents... It‘ll be interesting to see if the new system creates a noticeable reduction in pressure.

In Oregon, ODF&W doesn't care about the quality of the hunt, only selling more tags and licenses. Been this way for a long time. They claim to care, but it's only lip service to sound good. If they ever do anything which isn't designed to sell more tags, I will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Holocene]

They prefer to be where there isn't a bunch of people..

Most of the flat billed deep throaters need to be back in a couple miles for good Instagram backgrounds in their armed hiking pictures and the road hunters can't see them from their truck.

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Bow in hand+archery tag in pack+out hunting=bowhunter

I somewhat get what he is saying. ODFW created a system that created this issue. Hunters want to hunt. The first time you go hunt, it either gets in your blood or doesn’t for the most part. For me and most guys I know bow hunting is the same, it gets in your blood.

They have forced hunters to switch over to a weapon they likely wouldn’t have switched to otherwise. They are hunters, and bow hunters.

Im pretty confident if the choose your weapon type of draw were implemented, they would just pick the archery tag to hunt more often.

The hunters are going to follow the path of least resistance to get tags as often as possible I believe.

It looks like across the west demand is growing for all these tags. If the animals herds can’t take the increase, controlled draws or capped first come first serve tag numbers seem to be a simple answer.

Under the Oregon proposal the draws are only on the east side. If the west side is going to remain as a OTC general archery zone, they should probably have a cap on resident and non resident tags sales for that general tag. More and more people are not getting a tag each year in all the various states , and will just follow the path of least resistance to the next available tag. This just moves the over crowding or over harvesting problem around, but doesn’t solve it.

Very balanced and thoughtful, sir. Refreshing.

 

[trazerr]

It sounds like this is the option that ODFW will be proposing to the commission on August 8th.

- The green units will be a general archery tag and over the counter.
- The blue units will be a draw only tag. If you draw this tag you can hunt any of the blue units.
- The red units will be a draw only tag. You will have to pick only one. If you draw you can only hunt that unit.

That is what I read online in one of my Oregon elk FB groups.

 

[wapitibob]

correct

 

[I hunt_dm3]

Including Minam in the blue section is a mistake IMO. Will increase the number of tags but guys won’t spend much time there and will overpopulate the other blue units. Not sure why they wouldn’t just make those units red as well.

 

[CamoPirate]

What peeves me is all those blue zones are some of the lowest hunter numbers, and all heavy in outfitters. Seems like a bullshit way of giving outfitters priority, because who wants to DIY the draw tag in a hard to hunt on foot unit..

 

[I hunt_dm3]

Why would they include the blue units at all, if the goal is to be able to batter manage hunter numbers, why not make them red like the units around them.

 

[wapitibob]

20 minute mark

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[I hunt_dm3]

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Thank you, that helped explain the reasoning. I like the idea of having the control to manage units, which is why I’m not a fan of the zone, but now if they will actually limit the tags we could increase some of our numbers. IMO there are about 3 times to many archery and rifle deer tags.

 

[Baddog]

I still think people should have to choose either apply for rifle or bow. Can’t apply for rifle tags then go general bow... just my .02...

 

[copperhead04]

I too would like to see having to pick your weapon and stick to it. As someone who hunts three of the red units in the proposal I’m ok with picking my unit and sticking to it. I live and also hunted west side one weekend last year and have had my mind changed about not being able to hunt both by some of your responses and don’t have a problem with staying in the area I chose.